Service Animal Certification

I conduct evaluations and/or record review to determine if your mental or physical impairment or disability warrants a service or emotional support animal. Once I have determined there is a medical illness I provide all necessary documentation for you to then have your animal approved by the national service of animal certification. Your animal can possibly become a licensed and certified service animal and/or an emotional support animal. A service animal assists people with disabilities in many different ways. Individuals and animals are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In places of public accommodation, animals can legally be considered service animals. It is legal in certain states to have service “animals”. It is also legal to train your own service animal in the United States. There is a broader definition for assistance animals under the US Fair Housing Act as well as a broader definition for service animals under the US Air Carrier Access Act.

Legislation assists in making access to public facilities easier for disabled persons with a service animal. Allow me to determine if you and your animal qualify for this certification. Check out the ADA’s Service Animals FAQ page for more information.

Emotional Support Animal Certification

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, an animal that provides relief to individuals with “psychiatric disability through companionship” is considered an emotional support animal and encompasses animals from all species. While service animals are trained to perform specific tasks such as helping a blind person navigate, an emotional support animal doesn’t require any formal training to assist with the mitigation of mental health symptoms. Any animal that provides support, comfort, or aid to an individual through companionship, unconditional positive regard, and affection may be regarded as an emotional support animal for a person with a designated disability.

In the United States, people with disabilities, who own an emotional support animal, may be exempt from federal housing and travel rules. To receive these exemptions, the handler must meet the federal definition of disabled, and the emotional support animal must help alleviate the symptoms or effects of the disability. I will provide this documentation and evaluation. As your healthcare provider I will generate the necessary letter stating that the emotional support animal is imperative to their mental health and there aren’t any alternative treatments. Under the ADA, a service animal is defined as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The task(s) performed by the dog must be directly related to the person’s disability.